Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Trade Unions: Public Consultation

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to enforce laws surrounding trade union consultation; and what plans they have to ban the practice of fire-and-rehire.

Lord Callanan: The Government has been consistent in condemning the inappropriate use of firing and rehiring tactics during negotiations. As the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State wrote in the other place on Tuesday 29 March, the Government will now bring forward statutory code later this year, under section 203 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992. Under section 204 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, the Secretary of State is required to publish a draft and consider any representations. The Department will engage with trade unions as part of that consultation. The scope of the Code and its remedies will be in accordance with the provisions of the Act. The Legislation to lay the code will be introduced when parliamentary time allows and will be subject to the affirmative resolution procedure.

Postage Stamps: ICT

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will rescind the decision to refuse to accept stamps purchased after 31 January 2023 if they do not contain a barcode.

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reissue the (1) Dad's Army, and (2) Parliament, stamps with a barcode, in light of the new rules requiring stamps to contain a barcode to be usable after 31 January 2023.

Lord Callanan: The development of stamp products is an operational matter for Royal Mail, a private company. The Government is not involved in Royal Mail’s operational or commercial decisions.

Fuels: Excise Duties

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent profiteering by companies increasing their prices following the five pence cut in fuel duty announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Spring Statement on 23 March.

Lord Callanan: The Government remains committed to tackling consumer rip-offs and bad business practices, including profiteering. The CMA monitors firms suspected of profiteering to challenge unjustifiable price increases and stands ready to take enforcement action where there is evidence that competition or consumer protection law has been broken. The Government continues to monitor the operation of consumer markets and keeps all options under review to ensure good value and service for consumers.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what co-operation they have had with governments of EU member states in assessing the lessons relating to the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lord Kamall: The Government continues to engage with European Union Member States on cross border health threats, including COVID-19. Public health officials from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France and Germany have contributed to a workshop exploring the value of different models of health protection.The UK also engages with Member States through multilateral forums established in the UK and EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, such as the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK Health Security Agency and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The UK also receives regular invitations to the EU Health Security Committee discussions on COVID-19, which assesses the on-going response to the pandemic. In addition, UK health ministers meet regularly with EU counterparts in other multilateral or plurilateral forums, including the G7, G20 and the World Health Organization.

Protective Clothing: Contracts

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the event that any suppliers of faulty PPE are required to return public funds to the Department of Health and Social Care, they will publish what monies have been returned; by whom; how much has been recouped; and whether any evidence of criminality has been exposed and being prosecuted.

Lord Kamall: The Department is committed to transparency and a total of funds recovered may be published in future. However, settlements arising from the supply of faulty personal protective equipment are commercially sensitive. Therefore we will be unable to provide details of individual settlements. Where losses are incurred, these will be recorded in the Department’s Financial Losses Register and all such sums will be included in the Annual Report and Accounts. If evidence of criminal activity is suspected, the Department will support relevant agencies in such investigations.

Prisons: Drugs

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they have spent on drug rehabilitation for (1) men, and (2) women, in prison, in (a) England, and (b) Wales, in each year since 2010.

Lord Kamall: The information is not held in the format requested. Due to the way NHS England commissions integrated services across the secure and detained estate, it is not possible to determine specific expenditure on mental health services and substance misuse services.In England, spending on health services in prisons has increased from £400 million in 2016/17 to approximately £496 million in 2020/21. Integrated spending on substance misuse and mental health services in prisons has increased from £148 million in 2016/17 to £203 million in 2020/21. This expenditure relates to both the male and female adult secure estate.Information on health care spending in Wales is not held as this is a devolved matter.

Coronavirus: Prescription Drugs

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Kamall on 31 January (HL Deb col 621),what progress they have made in meeting the target of 5 million secured patient courses of antiviral treatments for COVID-19.

Lord Kamall: The Government has secured 4.98 million patient courses of oral antiviral treatments. This includes 2.75 million patient courses of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir, co-packaged as Paxlovid, from Pfizer and 2.23 million patient courses of molnupiravir from Merck Sharp and Dohme. We continue to receive regular supplies of these antivirals which are available to eligible patients via the PANORAMIC trial and COVID Medicine Delivery Units in England and equivalent arrangements in the devolved administrations.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many patients are enrolled in the PANORAMIC study for COVID-19.

Lord Kamall: As of 5 April 2022, the PANORAMIC study has recruited over 21,000 participants.

Prescription Drugs: Coronavirus

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many patients in the UK are being treated with (1) Paxlovid, and (2) Sotrovimab; and what is their strategy for the wider deployment of these antiviral treatments for COVID-19.

Lord Kamall: The information requested is not held centrally. However, as of 31 March 2022, 5,443 patients in England had received the oral antiviral treatment Paxlovid since it was first available in the National Health Service on 10 February 2022. Since 20 December 2021, 18,468 patients in England have received the intravenous monoclonal antibody sotrovimab. Further evidence on the effectiveness of antiviral treatments is needed to support decisions on any wider deployment. This includes findings of the PANORAMIC study and international trial evidence. PANORAMIC is a primary care-based study for oral antivirals such as molnupiravir and Paxlovid. The RECOVERY trial is studying both sotrovimab and Paxlovid as potential future treatments for patients hospitalised due to COVID-19.

Gender Recognition: Surgery

Lord Farmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government how manysurgical interventions intended to reduce gender dysphoria, and improve health, quality of life and social functioning in people who have gender dysphoria, have been commissioned by the NHS in each year since 2019; and of these, how many were (1) masculinising genital surgery, and (2) feminising genital surgery.

Lord Farmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost to the NHS of surgical interventions intended to reduce gender dysphoria, and improve health, quality of life and social functioning in people who have gender dysphoria, in each year since 2019.

Lord Farmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many remedial surgical interventions were commissioned by the NHS following surgical interventions intended to reduce gender dysphoria, and improve health, quality of life and social functioning in people who have gender dysphoria, in each year since 2019.

Lord Farmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost to the NHS of remedial surgical interventions following surgical interventions intended to reduce gender dysphoria, and improve health, quality of life and social functioning in people who have gender dysphoria, in each year since 2019.

Lord Kamall: Surgical interventions intended to reduce gender dysphoria commissioned by the National Health Service are recorded in three categories: masculinising genital surgery; feminising genital surgery; and masculinising chest surgery. The following table shows the number of surgical interventions in each category and the associated costs in 2019/20. Surgical interventions CostMasculinising genital surgery 573 £4,892,000Feminising genital surgery 528 c. £8,944,381*Masculinising chest surgery Not known* Note:*The cost of feminising genital and masculinising chest surgery is combined as some surgical providers offer both interventions therefore the costs are not recorded separately in data held by NHS England. The combined cost does not include the full cost of masculinising chest surgery, as this was partially funded by clinical commissioning groups in 2019/20.Information on the number of surgical interventions for feminising genital surgery and masculinising chest surgery in 2020/21 is not currently held centrally. However, this data is expected to be available within the first quarter of 2022/23. While the allocated budget for specialist surgical procedures on the gender dysphoria pathway in 2020/21 was £19 million, actual spend can only be determined once the data on surgical numbers is available. The information requested on revision surgery is not available in the format requested this procedure was not recorded via a separate pathway until October 2020.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: Restraint Techniques

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the instances of the use of force by prison officers on prisoners aged 18–24 in the men’s estate have been recorded in each of the last 10 years; and what proportion this was of the total instances of the use of force.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Every use of physical force is reviewed, and prison officers receive appropriate training to ensure that it is only used when necessary, reasonable and proportionate, and as a last resort.

Prisoners: Location

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of prisoners with a home address in London are being held in prisons in (1) Wales, and (2) the North of England.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: As of Friday 25th March 2022, there were 14,711 individuals with an origin address in London who were in HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) custody. Of these, 94 (0.2%) were housed in prisons in Wales. 2,734 (18.6%) were housed within the geographical area covered by the HMPPS North Region.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Iran: Sanctions

Lord Austin of Dudley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the (1) possibility, and (2) impact, of sanctions on Iran being lifted as part of a renegotiated Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA); and what discussions they have held with the government of the United States in relation to this.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are at the end of talks to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). The deal on the table is a result of intensive negotiations and is based on input from all JCPoA participants, and the United States. The US has offered to lift JCPoA-related sanctions which would benefit the Iranian people. In exchange, Iran would reverse its nuclear escalation, return its nuclear programme to strict JCPoA limits and restore extensive monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take, if any, to re-introduce sunset clauses to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran (JCPOA).

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are at the end of talks to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). The deal on the table is a result of intensive negotiations and is based on input from all JCPoA participants, and the United States. The US has offered to lift JCPoA-related sanctions which would benefit the Iranian people. In exchange, Iran would reverse its nuclear escalation, return its nuclear programme to strict JCPoA limits and restore extensive monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The sunset clauses will remain in a restored JCPoA.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the adequacy of oversight of Iran's nuclear programme in the renegotiated Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran (JCPOA) agreement; and (2) the possibility of re-imposing sanctions in the event of breach of the agreement.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are at the end of talks to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). The deal on the table is a result of intensive negotiations and is based on input from all JCPoA participants, and the United States. The US has offered to lift JCPoA-related sanctions which would benefit the Iranian people. In exchange, Iran would reverse its nuclear escalation, return its nuclear programme to strict JCPoA limits and restore extensive monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The ability to re-impose sanctions in response to Iranian non-compliance with its commitments is a key part of the JCPoA, and the process for doing this is set out in the JCPoA and UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the amount of cash that will become available to Iran in the event of the renegotiated Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran (JCPOA) agreement coming into effect.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are at the end of talks to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). The deal on the table is a result of intensive negotiations and is based on input from all JCPoA participants, and the United States. The US has offered to lift JCPoA-related sanctions which would benefit the Iranian people. In exchange, Iran would reverse its nuclear escalation, return its nuclear programme to strict JCPoA limits and restore extensive monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Bonyad Taavon Basij: Sanctions

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what sanctions, if any, they have placed on the Iranian Foundation Bonyad Taavon Basij; what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of any such sanctions; and what assessment they have made of the possibility of lifting any such sanctions in a re-negotiated Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran (JCPOA).

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what sanctions, if any, they have placed on the Central Bank of Iran and the National Development Fund; what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of those sanctions; what assessment they have made of the possibility of lifting those sanctions in a re-negotiated Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran (JCPOA); and what assessment they have made of the reported funding by those entities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Quds Force, and Hezbollah.

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the funding of (1) the Iranian Foundation Bonyad Taavon Basij, and (2) the Basij Resistance force; and what assessment they have made of the reported use of child soldiers by that force.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Should the deal in Vienna be concluded, the UK would not lift any sanctions. The UK maintains a number of sanctions consistent with the nuclear deal, including sanctions related to human rights, proliferation and terrorism. The full UK Sanctions List is available on the GOV.UK website (www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uk-sanctions-list), which provides details of those individuals and entities designated under sanctions regulations made under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act. We keep all regimes and designations under close review.The UK will continue to condemn the IRGC's destabilising regional activities and maintains a range of sanctions aimed at deterring such behaviour. This includes IRGC political, financial and military support to a number of militant and proscribed groups including Hizballah in Lebanon and Syria, and militias in Iraq. The UK stands firmly against recruitment and use of child soldiers in conflict, as outlined by the Paris Principles which the government has endorsed.

Northern Ireland Protocol: Regulation

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what system is in place to report on the potential of (1) primary, and (2) secondary, legislation, to create regulatory divergence between Great Britain and Northern Ireland in areas where the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland applies.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Explanatory notes accompanying all Government Bills, and explanatory memoranda accompanying all secondary legislation, should set out any potential implications that the legislation may have on regulatory divergence between Great Britain and Northern Ireland in areas where the Protocol applies. Any operational differences that materialise as a result of legislative changes are detailed in the relevant gov.uk guidance. We work with other Government departments to ensure that explanatory notes and memoranda provide clear information.

Nigeria: Humanitarian Aid

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 24 March 2022 (HL7051), which (1) communities, (2) organisations, and (3) other beneficiaries, they have supported in the Middle-Belt since January 2021 to address the ongoing humanitarian situation in Nigeria.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK Government remains concerned by the humanitarian situation in Nigeria, and we continue to encourage the Nigerian Government to take urgent action to protect communities at risk of conflict and crisis, and to implement long-term solutions that address the root causes of insecurity. For example, our governance programme, PERL (Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn) has been working in Kaduna state for more than five years to promote good governance, accountability and basic service delivery to citizens. In addition, the UK funded Christian Aid and the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development to support communities which were displaced due to intercommunal violence in Kaduna State during 2020. This supported more than 15,000 displaced people with cash grants to address food security needs, provision of water and sanitation kits and other non-food items.As outlined in the United Nations-led Humanitarian Response Plan, the largest humanitarian crisis in Nigeria is concentrated in the North-East. The UK Government's humanitarian support consequently focuses on addressing humanitarian needs in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States and is primarily delivered through our 5-year NENTAD programme (£425 million, 2017-2022). The FCDO publishes information about current funding on the Development Tracker website.

Eritrea and Russia: Military Bases

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of Russia's plans to set up a naval base on the Eritrean Red Sea coast.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Russia has long sought to pursue interests on the Red Sea. We continually monitor developments in the region.

Nigeria: Humanitarian Aid

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of UK aid to Nigeria has been spent in the Middle-Belt since 2015.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Between financial years 2014-15 and 2020-21, approximately 11 percent of UK bilateral aid to Nigeria through legacy Department for International Development (DFID), legacy Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has been spent in Nigeria's Middle Belt. This percentage is an estimate, covering only bilateral UK spend funded by DFID and FCDO between 2014 and 2020 and does not reflect the totality of all UK aid spent through centrally managed programmes, multilaterals and other government departments.

Eritrea: Non-governmental Organisations

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ability of UK-based humanitarian NGOs to operate in Eritrea.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: No UK-based humanitarian organisations are operating in Eritrea due to the restrictions imposed by the Eritrean Government in the early 2000s. These restrictions apply to all international NGOs.The UK has committed £500,000 of targeted humanitarian assistance through UNICEF in 2021/22, mainly to treat and prevent acute malnutrition of children and women, and mitigate the risk of communicable diseases.

Eritrea: Foreign Relations

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current relations between the UK and Eritrea.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK and Eritrea have diplomatic relations. We use that to pursue areas of agreement and disagreement. We see human rights, development, regional issues and Ukraine on very different terms, which we make very clear.

Darfur: Internally Displaced People

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address the displacement of the Darfuri people.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of a reported increase in violence, including sexual violence, in Darfur; and what steps they are taking to address it.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The humanitarian situation in Sudan is serious, including in Darfur where the UN report that at least 89,000 people have been displaced since October 2021. To help address the situation, the UK contributed £27 million in 2021 to humanitarian assistance in Sudan, which provided approximately 1.2 million people with live-saving assistance such as food, cash and voucher support, safe drinking water, shelter and sanitation.The ongoing political crisis in Sudan has exacerbated the already fragile security and humanitarian situation across the country. On 28 March we raised our concerns at the UN Security Council, including on the situation in Darfur and increases in levels of sexual violence. Since the coup, Ministers, British Embassy staff in Khartoum and senior FCDO officials have encouraged all Sudanese political actors to engage in the next phase of talks facilitated by the UN and African Union to resolve the crisis. We will continue to maintain pressure on all parties to engage in this process as the best means to begin addressing the root causes of conflict and delivering an inclusive peace for all Sudanese.

Ministry of Defence

Ukraine: Military Aid

Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether replacements forthe munitions gifted to Ukraine have been ordered; and which Government department will pay for them.

Baroness Goldie: The Ministry of Defence continually manages and reviews all of its stocks of weapons and munitions to ensure that it can meet its commitments, including supplying to Ukraine whilst maintaining sufficient stocks for the UK Armed Forces.Where replenishment occasioned by the supply of stocks to Ukraine is required, this is expected to be funded from the HM Treasury Special Reserve.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Pigs: Animal Welfare

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on pigs and their welfare of the shortage of (1) abattoir workers, and (2) vets, resulting in delays to their slaughter.

Lord Benyon: We recognise the significant and ongoing challenges that the pig sector has faced over the last year. This is due to the pandemic and the loss of the Chinese export market to certain processing plants; global labour shortages; and disruption to supplies of carbon dioxide, which is used as a stunning method for pigs. In addition, in 2021, the UK pig herd was the largest for 20 years. Together these factors have resulted in a backlog of pigs on farm. This supply chain disruption has not impacted animal welfare of pigs in slaughterhouses. Our concern is that increased numbers of animals on farms can create animal welfare issues if there is insufficient space or housing. The Government has been working closely with the pig industry to put in place measures to alleviate the situation, including temporary visas for pork butchers, and Private Storage Aid and Slaughter Incentive Payment Schemes to incentivise processors to increase their throughput of pigs in slaughterhouses. These interventions are, together, making a significant contribution to reducing the backlog of pigs on farms. The Farming Minister, Victoria Prentis, has chaired two roundtables – on 10 February and 3 March - with pig industry representatives from across the UK to discuss the challenges that the sector has been facing. Minister Prentis has also met with representatives of the agricultural banking sector to discuss the current situation in the pig sector. The banks confirmed that they are working closely with impacted pig farmers during this exceptionally challenging period and remain keen to be supportive. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for the provision of official veterinarians to monitor and enforce animal welfare regulations in slaughterhouses. The FSA has maintained veterinary supervision in all slaughterhouses, which includes providing veterinary resource for additional slaughter shifts.

Veterinary Medicine: Northern Ireland

Lord Rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Benyon on 23 March (HL Deb col 954),what discussions they had with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs minister in the Northern Ireland Executive about his embargo on the recruitment of veterinarians to deliver controls on (1) sanitary, and (2) phytosanitary, goods arriving at Northern Ireland ports; and what assessment they have made of this decision.

Lord Benyon: The operation of checks is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive (as sanitary and phytosanitary checks are a devolved competence). Defra Ministers have written and spoken to Minister Poots about staffing and infrastructure for conducting checks at Northern Ireland points of entry. Defra officials talk regularly to their DAERA counterparts about implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol including operations at points of entry. We remain fully committed to fixing the problems with the Protocol and to protect the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in all its dimensions. We will continue our intensive talks with the EU in order to resolve these.

Peat Bogs: Conservation

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 7 March (HL6269), what steps they will take to ensure that a larger amount of peatlands is restored before 2040 in order (1) to avoid incurring significant opportunity costs, and (2) to prevent the further degradation of unrestored peatlands.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: England's peatlands are our largest terrestrial carbon store. They provide a home for rare wildlife, regulate our water supply and provide a record of the past. However, we know we need to do more to restore our peatlands to their natural state so that they can provide these vital ecosystem services. In the Net Zero Strategy, we committed to aim to restore approximately 280,000 hectares of peatland in England by 2050. The Nature for Climate Fund aims to provide funding for the restoration of at least 35,000 hectares of peatland by 2025, representing a tripling of historic average annual restoration levels. To ensure that a larger amount of peatlands is restored, the scheme is offering two types of grants: Discovery grants focused on building a restoration pipeline by enabling projects to unlock barriers to peat restoration; and Restoration grants, focused on capital works on the ground, for projects for which the preparatory work has mostly been completed. A second round of both the Discovery and Restoration grants are to be launched in spring 2022. We have set out further plans for enabling and facilitating peatland restoration in the England Peat Action Plan, published in May 2021. We are investing in research on lowland peat to ensure we have the evidence needed to help inform necessary land use management. An Implementation Plan, being developed by Natural England, will set out how the England Peat Action Plan will be delivered, including a trajectory of restoration over the next 20 years. We are also exploring future funding options, including mobilising private investment, and through the development of our new environmental land management schemes. We will continue to keep our policies under review to ensure that we restore and prevent further degradation of peatlands as much as possible.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Elections: Proof of Identity

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effects of requiring voters to show photo ID to vote in elections on voter turnout; when that assessment was carried out; and what effects on voter turnout the assessment showed for (1) the overall voting age population, (2) unemployed people, (3) people who rent their home from a local authority, (4) people who rent those home from a housing association, (5) people with a disability, (6) people who identify as transexual, and (7) people from a Black, Asian or Minority ethnic heritage.

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of personation attempts at polling stations that would be deterred if mandatory photo ID was implemented to vote at elections; and when that assessment took place.

Lord Greenhalgh: Levels of turnout fluctuate year-on-year as a result of a range of factors, even between the same types of elections. A variety of disparate factors play a part in whether someone chooses to vote in any particular election, from the appeal of candidates standing, to an elector’s personal circumstances on the day. Based on the independent Electoral Commission’s evaluations of the 2018 and 2019 voter ID pilots, there is no indication that any consistent demographic was adversely affected by the use of voter ID. The evaluation shows that the pilots were a success and the overwhelming majority of people cast their vote without a problemPersonation in polling stations is very difficult to identify and prove as, by definition, it is a crime of deception. Therefore, it is difficult to identify a precise number of likely future attempts at personation. But it is by no means a victimless crime. In 2013, the Electoral Commission found that it is often the most vulnerable who find themselves targeted, so it is right that we stamp out any potential for it to take place in elections

Electoral Register

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of people who would be registered to vote if automatic voter registration was introduced compared to the current electoral roll; and what assessment they have made of the effect automatic voter registration would have on (1) people under 30 years old; (2) people over 65 years old; (3) people from a Black, Asian or Minority ethnic heritage; and (4) people from a socio-economic groups (a) C2, (b) D and (c) E.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government has made no estimate of the impact of automatic voter registration on the numbers registered to vote, nor any assessment of the effect of automatic voter registration on specific groups.

Cabinet Office

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Framlingham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many deaths, confirmed by coroner’s courts, have been directly caused by COVID-19 vaccinations.

Lord True: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the noble Lord’s Parliamentary Question of 31 March is below and attached. Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician The Lord FramlinghamHouse of LordsLondonSW1A 0PW 5 April 2022 Dear Lord Framlingham, As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am replying to your Parliamentary Question asking how many deaths, confirmed by coroner’s courts, have been directly caused by COVID-19 vaccinations (HL7550). The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for publishing statistics on deaths registered in England and Wales[1]. Mortality statistics are compiled from information supplied when deaths are certified and registered as part of civil registration. National Records for Scotland[2] and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency[3] are responsible for publishing statistics on deaths registered in Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively. Data on deaths registered due to COVID-19 vaccines causing adverse effects in therapeutic use (ICD-10 code U12.9) are available up to February 2022 and are reported in table 12 of Monthly Mortality Analysis[4]. According to data available up to February 2022, out of 124,132,189 COVID-19 vaccinations given to people in England and Wales[5], there have been 23 deaths registered[6] so far due to this cause. Each of these were certified by a coroner. Yours sincerely,Professor Sir Ian Diamond [1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/deathsregisteredinenglandandwalesseriesdrreferencetables[2]https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/[3]https://www.nisra.gov.uk/[4]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/monthlymortalityanalysisenglandandwales[5] https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/vaccinations, accessed on the 6th April 2022.[6]Data for 2021 and 2022 are provisional. There can be a delay between the date a death occurred and the date a death was registered; deaths certified by a coroner are often subject to longer-than-usual registration delays. More information can be found in our Impact of registration delays release.Response to PQHL7550 (pdf, 115.7KB)

British Constitution: Ministerial Responsibility

Lord Norton of Louth: To ask Her Majesty's Government which Cabinet minister has overall responsibility for constitutional issues.

Lord True: The Prime Minister has overall responsibility for constitutional issues. How responsibilities across government are allocated and how the Prime Minister is supported in the discharge of responsibilities is set out in the List of Ministerial Responsibilities, the last version of which was published on 3 March 2022.

Ministers: ICT

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many messages have been (1) logged, and (2) registered, of Government Ministers (a) sending, or (b) receiving, messages of official Government business onmessaging services on their own private communication devices for the years (i) 2020, (ii) 2021, and (iii) 2022, to date; and what are the totals by each Ministry or Department.

Lord True: Ministers will have informal conversations from time to time in person or remotely. Significant content relating to government business from such discussions is passed back to officials. Government does not hold information on how many messages are transferred to official systems, and it should be noted that it is the substance of any business that has to be transferred to official systems, not necessarily the messages themselves.

Civil Servants: Incentives

Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many civil servants received bonuses in addition to their salaries in the last year for which figures are available.

Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many executives in charge of government agencies receive annual bonuses; which executives receive such bonuses; and in each case, what is the value of those bonuses.

Lord True: As part of the Government’s commitment to transparency, departments have published aggregated annual information on their bonus spend on their own websites since 2011. This promotes scrutiny of how taxpayers’ money is spent. The latest data, which covers the performance years 2019/20 and 2020/21, was published on Government Departments’ websites on 31 March 2022. This data includes information on total bonus spend, the number of civil servants receiving bonuses, and the size of payments. Regarding the second question: executive agencies publish individualised data on payments received by their Board-level members in their Annual Accounts. This includes data on which executives receive bonuses, and the size of any payments. Since 2010, the Government has made bonuses across the Civil Service more tightly focussed on top performance; current spend on them is around 1 percent of the total Civil Service paybill.

Government Departments: Consultants

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they spent on external consultants in the tax years (1) 2017–18; (2) 2018–19; (3) 2019–20, (4) 2020–21, and (5) 2021 to date.

Lord True: It is standard for Government Departments to draw on the advice of external specialists for a range of services. Consultancy includes staff who provide objective advice relating to strategy, structure, management or operations of an organisation and may include the identification of options with recommendations. The noble Lord may also be aware that the Consultancy Playbook was published in May 2021 alongside the Sourcing Playbook, to provide additional guidance when sourcing consultancy services. This supports our agenda to commission and engage with consultants more effectively, achieving better outcomes, better value for money, and improved civil service capability through the transferral of knowledge and skills. Consultancy spend, including ALB spend, is published in departmental annual reports and accounts and is reproduced below. Department2016/172017/182018/192019/202020/21BEIS£62,600,000£63,000,000£61,900,000£55,700,000£137,300,000CO£10,191,000£23,992,000£36,893,000£38,841,000£79,779,000DCMS£22,900,000£18,300,000£22,500,000£32,900,000£46,100,000DFE£12,100,000£14,600,000£13,100,000£12,700,000£8,700,000DEFRA£22,897,000£37,553,000£54,542,000£33,299,000£36,337,000DFT£78,260,000£92,490,000£145,562,000£168,390,654£175,720,840DHSC£389,301,000£370,970,000£342,051,000£290,206,000£485,997,000DITNil£644,000£2,761,000£897,000£5,782,000DWP£9,700,000£45,300,000£28,500,000£28,500,000£29,000,000FCDO£800,000£1,261,979£1,927,753£2,936,902£2,742,044HMRC£1,212,806£2,957,366£3,168,518£1,700,000£8,600,000HMT£18,000,000£18,000,000£15,000,000£18,000,000£17,000,000HO£13,348,000£12,728,000£23,400,000£33,700,000£32,402,000DLUCH£156,000£405,000£3,308,000£5,229,000£20,148,000MOD£60,500,000£49,955,000£65,150,000£134,627,000£109,668,000MOJ£15,156,000£36,337,000£30,572,000£14,962,000£15,742,000Total£717,121,806£788,493,345£850,335,271£872,588,556£1,211,017,884

10 Downing Street: Security

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have swept the Downing Street premises for listening devices since the refurbishment work carried out in the last two years.

Lord True: As has been the case under successive administrations, it is not Government policy to comment on security procedures in Government buildings. However, Cabinet Office plays a supporting role through the Government Security Group, which sets the standards to which Departments are expected to adhere.

Treasury

Public Finance: Families

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they applied the Family Test to the measures set out in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Spring Statement on 23 March; and if so, what their conclusions and mitigations were.

Baroness Penn: The Treasury has established processes in place to ensure appropriate assessments of equality and family test impacts are conducted in the development of new policy. In the interests of transparency, we have gone beyond legal requirements by publishing impacts for the tax measures announced at the Spring Statement 2022 in summary form in Tax Information and Impact Notes (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tax-information-and-impact-notes-tiins - spring-statement-2022)

Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what changeshave taken effect in respect of alcohol excise duties in the UK since 1 January 2021 which (1) do not apply to Northern Ireland, and (2) will take effect in Northern Ireland with modifications.

Baroness Penn: As part of the UK’s departure from the EU, the government announced a number of changes to the movement of excise goods (including alcohol) to and from Northern Ireland, which took effect at 11pm on 31st December 2020. More information about post-transition changes is available on gov.uk and from HMRC. There have been no further changes to alcohol duties since 1 January 2021 that exclude Northern Ireland or do not fully apply in Northern Ireland.

Hospitality Industry: VAT

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they are providing to UK hospitality businesses, especially small businesses, to help with (1) rising costs, and (2) the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, following their decision not extend the 12.5 per cent rate of VAT for hospitality.

Baroness Penn: The government has already prioritised support for SMEs by cutting business rates by 50% for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure businesses, providing a 95% subsidy for apprenticeships, and supporting them to invest and grow by increasing the Annual Investment Allowance to £1 million. The Help to Grow scheme provides eligible SMEs with a 90% subsidy for world class management training and subsidises the cost of new software up to £5,000. The Spring Statement 2022 went further and cuts the cost of employment for half a million small businesses, by increasing the Employment Allowance from £4,000 to £5,000. This means that from April, 670,000 businesses will not pay NICs and the Health and Social Care Levy. In addition, to help businesses and consumers, the main rates of petrol and diesel duty will be cut by 5 pence per litre, the largest cash terms cut that has ever been applied to fuel duty rates at once.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Gambling

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the percentage of the publicwho have experiencedserious gambling-related harm.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: As set out in Public Health England’s (PHE) evidence review of gambling-related harms, the most commonly used screening tools - the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) - categorise gambling-related harm as either low-risk, moderate-risk, or problem gambling, with problem gambling defined as gambling with negative consequences and a possible lack of control. PHE’s review found the problem gambling rate for England was estimated as 0.5% in 2018, and has been relatively stable since 2012. The 2016 Combined Health survey reported an overall rate of problem gambling for adults in Great Britain of 0.7%.To supplement the Health Surveys, the Gambling Commission carries out a quarterly survey by telephone which uses a short-form PGSI screening to define problem gambling status. For the year to December 2021, this estimated a problem gambling rate of 0.3%.The Gambling Commission’s ‘Young People and Gambling’ report has measured gambling behaviour in children since 2014, including problem gambling using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition Adapted for Juveniles. In 2019, the most recent year for which the survey has been based on complete data, the rate for 11-16 year olds in England, Scotland and Wales was 1.7%.

Gambling

Baroness Merron: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) prevalence, and (2) cost to the Exchequer, of gambling-related harm in each of the last three years.

Baroness Merron: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the cumulative cost to the Exchequer of gambling-related harm since May 2010.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Public Health England’s (PHE) evidence review of gambling-related harms reported that 0.5% of the adult population reached the threshold to be considered ‘problem gamblers’ (defined as those gambling with negative consequences and a possible loss of control), and that this proportion has remained relatively consistent since 2012. PHE’s review also included estimates on the costs associated with gambling-related harm. On costs to the Exchequer, the report estimated the annual direct costs associated with people who are problem gamblers to be approximately £647 million, but was unable to make a direct assessment of the costs caused by gambling-related harm.Additional data on problem gambling prevalence comes from the Gambling Commission’s quarterly participation and prevalence survey, the latest results of which were published in February. The survey found that in the year to December 2021, the overall problem gambling rate was statistically stable at 0.3%, compared to the year to December 2020. In the year to December 2019, the rate was 0.6%.Our Review of the Gambling Act aims to ensure that the protections in place to prevent harm are appropriate and effective for the digital age. It is looking at issues regarding research as part of its broad scope.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Parliament: Coronavirus

Lord Goodlad: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what changes he will propose, if any, to the recommendation to wear face masks on the parliamentary estate in light of the spread of COVID-19 infections.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Regular communications are issued to members and staff to provide guidance in relation to Covid-19. The latest guidance, published on 5 April, states that from 25 April when the House returns from recess, the wearing of face masks is a matter of personal choice. All Covid-related measures are kept under review as appropriate.

Hybrid Bills

Lord Berkeley: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker when the findings on theconsultation of hybrid bill procedures will be published.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The consultation on Stage 2 of the review of hybrid bill procedure took place from 29 April to 23 July 2021. Forty-three responses were received, raising a range of issues. Some of these issues have been addressed in the preparations for the hearing of petitions against the High Speed Rail (Crewe-Manchester) Bill which was introduced in the House of Commons on 24 January 2022. A report, summarising the issues raised in the consultation responses and the steps taken so far to address them, will be published on the UK Parliament website in the near future. The report will also indicate how the longer-term work will be taken forward.